Jaymes

"...born in New Archangel..." New Archangel? Where is New Archangel? Are you talking about Sitka, perhaps? Were you born in Sitka, my very favorite town in all SE?

Sugar Plum Cake Here's another old family favorite that I've been cooking up for some thirty years 2 c self-rising flour 2 c sugar 1 c vegetable oil 3 eggs, slightly beaten 1 tsp powdered cloves 1 tsp cinnamon 1 c chopped pecans 2 jars (small) plum baby food - it comes mixed with something; I think applesauce Combine all ingredients by hand, mixing well. Prepare bundt pan - grease well, and then, instead of flour, coat well with granulated sugar. Pour batter into pan, trying not to disturb sugar. Bake at 350º for 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool a few minutes in the pan, and then turn out onto platter. Make lemon glaze: 1 C sifted powdered sugar mixed with lemon juice to taste. Glaze well-cooled cake. Keywords: Dessert, Cake ( RG528 )

I'll admit it. I did. But sadly, I've lost many of them through many relocations through the years. I have always wanted to do an inventory of the ones I have left, and fill in the others. Also, I remember too, like you, being so excited when each new one came. When a friend discovered she was going to be moving to Germany, I gave her the German one, thinking I could replace it. But I never did. This thread has inspired me to take whatever steps necessary to search out the volumes I need to complete the set.

Perhaps they could fly to NY and then ALL ride to Raleigh together in the Perlow's RV. (Just trying to be helpful )

Sorry, missed this one in the general flurry. I was distracted by my disappointment at being left off the "chicks" list. I didn't know, K - I swear I didn't know... Okay, let's see, where were we? There's K (for Katherine? Katy? Kitsy? Kandee? Kelly?) Purvis and Claire and Maggie and Marlene and Katie L and Heather and Malawry and Rachel and... and... have I left anyone else out? Oh and BLONDIE - my fave New Yorker! And all the fun guys, too. Oh, and Holly, I'm looking forward to meeting you holly is a fellow, not a lady. just thought that might be relevant. Yeah, I know Holly is no lady (I mentioned him after the 'guy' reference). But we're not holding that against him. Hell, some of the rest of us us ain't no ladies either. Which is one very big reason why I am really looking forward to this.

Sorry, missed this one in the general flurry. I was distracted by my disappointment at being left off the "chicks" list. I didn't know, K - I swear I didn't know... Okay, let's see, where were we? There's K (for Katherine? Katy? Kitsy? Kandee? Kelly?) Purvis and Claire and Maggie and Marlene and Katie L and Heather and Malawry and Rachel and... and... have I left anyone else out? Oh - BLONDIE - my fave New Yorker! And all the fun guys, too. Oh, and Holly, I'm looking forward to meeting you and filling you up with some good ol' Southern Hospitality. I am sure you can use some. I've been concerned about your health, having recently heard that you had been "stricken" with something or another.

RDU, tommy - it's even a hub - primarily served by American, Delta, but all of the major airlines fly into there.

I've signed up for Lambert's class at CM on June 12. After the glowing mention in the Austin newspaper today, if there are any more spaces, they will fill rapidly. So any of you that would like to take it had better call and reserve muy pronto.

Yeah, me. Unfortunately, I'm kinda tied up until Thursday, but should have some good information by Friday. Still months away, so there's time. But on Friday, I am planning on posting news you can use. To coin a phrase.

The first thing the Spaniards will tell you is that the type of rice is very important. An absolute must is a round, short grain type, and the best of the best is Calasparra rice, grown in in the province of Murcia, southeastern Spain. This is an excerpt from a brochure about Calasparra rice that I brought home from my last visit to Murcia: "The rice is grown in ancient terraces built by the Moors and these fields are irrigated by the cold water of the River delta. It is a short grain rice, whose starch structure gives a much moister, stickier finished consistency to that of long grain. Traditional Spanish rice dishes use the great absorbency of their short grained varieties which were flavoured with whatever was fished, hunted or came to hand. The rice grain acts as a vehicle or sponge for all the flavours of the ingredients cooked with it."

Anyone else read the Chronicle's 2003 Restaurant Poll? I noticed that I seem to have much more in common with the "Critics' Choice" list, rather than the poll results. In particular note the mention of T&S several times on the critics' list - best seafood, best appetizers, best late-night hangout for chefs and food professionals. And eGulleteers, right? Austin Chronicle 2003 Restaurant Poll Results

I have a nice selection of Marie Sharp's always in the fridge. I heard about it some years back when I took a trip to Belize with some other folks. As we were chatting about what we were buying there to take home, I noticed that every single one of them was planning on loading up on the Marie Sharp's. Not knowing what the fuss was all about, but not wanting to be left out, I also bought a wide selection. And Zowie! Now, one of my favorite snacks is just a cracker of some kind - anything works - with a few shakes of Marie Sharp's. A great many BIG shakes, if it's the mild habanero. One or two very SMALL shakes if it's the hot!

What a great idea! Thanks for letting us know. As I said in my original post, my friend Lita who lives in Queretaro suggested the Fritos when you don't have time to leave your fresh corn tortillas out for a day to allow them to get stale, and then frying them. But the Fritos' flavor does sometimes come through. Regular corn/tortilla chips didn't seem to hold up as well, though, leaving me in a quandry. These Tostitos things sound like they'd be better. Appreciate the info, Fifi.

Truly, Nick, my rice is NEVER one knuckle. I always make at least three cups or more of rice. I think it keeps extremely well, and I use it for all sorts of things. I love having cooked rice handy in the fridge. I heat water until boiling in the microwave, then pour it over the cold leftover rice and allow it to sit a few minutes until the rice is hot, then drain and fluff. Or, I put some leftover rice into a coffee mug and heat it in the microwave until it's hot and then add a little pat of butter, some cream, raisins, pinch of salt, cinnamon and sugar for a quicky "rice pudding." Or take the cold leftover rice and make chow fan (fried rice) for lunch or a light supper. Or pour some chile over it and have rice and chile (VERY popular in Asia). Or even open a can of gumbo, and pour that over it, or some red or black beans, with salsa or pico de gallo.... The possibilities are endless. So, don't know about the 2 knuckles if you've only got 1 knuckle thing. The depth of my rice is always at least 3-4 inches. However weird that sounds.....

Thought I'd chip in here - although my method might not work for everyone. I learned how to cook rice while I was living in the Orient. I have no clue if it's "right," but it's what I've been doing for a very long time and it seems to work. Take some rice. I usually buy whatever's on sale. It also depends on what I'm using it for, whether I buy short-grain "pearl" rice, or long-grain, or one of the more interesting varieties. I put some in a nice heavy saucepan. I don't measure - just as much as I need. Then I rinse it several times, as NickN says, until the water is if not completely uncloudy, at least fairly uncloudy. Then I put fresh water in the pan and (this is something I learned in Asia) stick my pointer finger down into the water to touch the rice. The water should be "two knuckles" deep. Then, bring to a boil (the Chinese don't add any salt at all at this point), take a paper towel and wet it, and set it on your counter and put the lid of the pot in the middle of the paper towel and fold the corners of the wet paper towel up onto the lid. Then put the lid with the paper onto your pot. The paper towel seals in the steam. Cook on very low heat until done - 20-30 minutes. When the rice is done, remove the lid and stir and fluff the rice the with a fork. Allow to sit a few minutes uncovered, fluffed and cooling before serving. That seems to keep it from getting sticky. When I moved to Panama, our cook laughed at the way I made rice. She said I made it "a las 'Cheenas'" (which is how Spanish-speakers pronounce China). In Panama, they took some kind of grease - most often a neutral oil sometimes with a little butter - and put it in the bottom of a heavy saucepan. They picked through the rice and some of them rinsed it briefly, but most didn't. They heated up the oil and put the rice into the saucepan and sauted it over med to high heat until the rice was beginning to color. Then they added liquid - usually a broth of some kind, most often chicken broth, or salted water, covered (our cook did the "paper towel" trick, but with a dishtowel) and cooked on very low heat until done. Again, though, when the rice was cooked, they took the lid off, fluffed with a fork, and allowed it to sit a few minutes (almost drying, you could say) before serving. Rice is a staple in many Central/South American countries - think Arroz con Pollo, etc. So there you go. Right or wrong - it's how I cook rice. It's worked pretty well for me for some 35 years. Have no desire to get a bulky rice cooker. Guess it might be nice if I had plenty of room, but I don't. So I'll just stick to the "two knuckles" and a "wet paper towel" approach for now.

I should be able to post some hotel rates by the end of next week. In order to negotiate decent group rates, one must haggle it out with the sales office of said property. And those folks usually are not in their offices on weekends. And perhaps not on Columbus Day, either. But by the end of next week, should know something definitive. Watch this space.

Great idea! We'll do it when we see him, right NYT???

Okay, I'm going to try to block some group space at a suitable hotel nearby. Of course, we'll look for one with a bar.

You kiddin' me? You got married, didn't you?

Pintos, absolutely. I love them. They are all to rarely seen these days. Black beans seem to have pushed them aside, for reasons I cannot understand. Okay - soupy Mexican Charro Beans it is. With bacon of course. And to garnish: salsa, extra jalapenos, cilantro....

Oh - and I'm also bringing my famous Chiles Rellenos Casserole - which is vegetarian - and maybe a tub of salsa, too.

I make pretty darn good sweet baked beans, and fabulous Mexican-style soupy "Charro" pinto beans. Which one do y'all prefer.

Brilliant response, V (if I may call you that). And later you can add, "...from all across the continent."

You and me both. I haven't worn hot pants since Dukes was still on TV. Me either. And even THEN, mine were more 'lukewarm.'

Blondie! And Claire! And Maggie! And Marlene! And Katie! OMG - a Chickfest! How incredibly FUN!! Okay - let's coordinate outfits - what should we all wear??? Daisy Duke shorts and halter tops? Is is a pig pickin, after all. That's right. And I'd better lose some weight. Either that, or at the Pig Pickin' be sure that I keep moving, lest someone shove an apple into my mouth.